Swartbooi's LPM lays down gauntlet
The Landless People's Movement (LPM) has handed in its application to the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) in which it seeks to register as a political party ahead of the 2019 general elections.
LPM national coordinator of logistics and events, Ivan Skrywer, described the handover of the application to ECN director Theo Muyoro yesterday as an “historic day” for the movement's young leadership.
“We have been waiting for this for a long time and have gone through a rigorous processes to get to this point,” Skrywer said.
Muyoro said the registration of a political party is not a “one-day process”, saying the accompanying documentation will have to be subjected to the stipulations of the ECN Act of 2014.
The application will undergo technical evaluation, after which it will be presented to the commission of the electoral body.
Muyoro said the commission is expected to meet within the next two to three weeks for the application to be considered.
“The commission will take a principled decision on the application and thereafter the application for a new party will become a public process,” Muyoro explained.
This public process involves the application to be subjected to objections from the public.
“It is a normal procedural and administrative process. If we detect any discrepancies or anomalies we will engage with the LPM,” Muyoro said, adding: “I would like to assure the applicants that they are in good hands; their application won't get lost.”
Muyoro would not say how long the processing of the application will take, but said once that is finalised a notice will be placed in the general gazette. One of the requirements to register as a political party is to have at least 3 500 signatories of duly registered voters, with at least 500 of such signatories coming from seven different political regions.
Skrywer said the LPM has far exceeded the 3 500 peg, saying the movement has gathered signatories from eight regions.
“We are here to change the political landscape; from today onwards, things will be different,” Skrywer said.
LPM leader, dismissed Swapo MP Bernadus Swartbooi, has since the latter part of last year said the LPM would transform from a social movement with ancestral land claims as its central theme into a fully-fledged political party to contest in the upcoming national and regional elections in 2019 and 2020.
In June, Swartbooi said the LPM was having a strong and growing presence in 11 regions and have by then already registered 3 500 members in seven regions.
CATHERINE SASMAN
LPM national coordinator of logistics and events, Ivan Skrywer, described the handover of the application to ECN director Theo Muyoro yesterday as an “historic day” for the movement's young leadership.
“We have been waiting for this for a long time and have gone through a rigorous processes to get to this point,” Skrywer said.
Muyoro said the registration of a political party is not a “one-day process”, saying the accompanying documentation will have to be subjected to the stipulations of the ECN Act of 2014.
The application will undergo technical evaluation, after which it will be presented to the commission of the electoral body.
Muyoro said the commission is expected to meet within the next two to three weeks for the application to be considered.
“The commission will take a principled decision on the application and thereafter the application for a new party will become a public process,” Muyoro explained.
This public process involves the application to be subjected to objections from the public.
“It is a normal procedural and administrative process. If we detect any discrepancies or anomalies we will engage with the LPM,” Muyoro said, adding: “I would like to assure the applicants that they are in good hands; their application won't get lost.”
Muyoro would not say how long the processing of the application will take, but said once that is finalised a notice will be placed in the general gazette. One of the requirements to register as a political party is to have at least 3 500 signatories of duly registered voters, with at least 500 of such signatories coming from seven different political regions.
Skrywer said the LPM has far exceeded the 3 500 peg, saying the movement has gathered signatories from eight regions.
“We are here to change the political landscape; from today onwards, things will be different,” Skrywer said.
LPM leader, dismissed Swapo MP Bernadus Swartbooi, has since the latter part of last year said the LPM would transform from a social movement with ancestral land claims as its central theme into a fully-fledged political party to contest in the upcoming national and regional elections in 2019 and 2020.
In June, Swartbooi said the LPM was having a strong and growing presence in 11 regions and have by then already registered 3 500 members in seven regions.
CATHERINE SASMAN
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